NPC: Next Portable Console

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VIDEO GAMES
EVERY TWO WEEKS

NPC is a podcast about one of the hottest corners of the gaming world: portable hardware. Every other week, Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, and Brendon Bigley cover portable gaming news and share their experiences with everything from the simplest retro gaming handhelds to cutting-edge handheld PCs.

1 DAY AGO

Unpacking CES 2025

In the first NPC episode of 2025, Brendon and John recap their CES experience with Federico, highlighting AMD’s new Z2 chips, the SteamOS-powered Legion Go S, and more. Together, they explore the technologies and trends poised to define the next generation of portable consoles. Sponsored By: Pika – Sign up today to start telling your story and use code NPC20 for 20% off your first year of Pika Pro. Links and Show Notes Unpacking CES 2025 More from Brendon and John on the MacStories YouTube channel AMD Announces the Z2 Chip The new AMD Z2 chips are nice, ok, and weird Other Devices Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) brings AMD Strix Halo to tablets Up close with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 FE, an incredibly compact flagship video card Thunderbolt 5 and ASUS’s new XG Mobile eGPU ASUS just announced the world’s first Thunderbolt 5 eGPU — the 2025 XG Mobile SteamOS News GeForce NOW CES 2025 Steam Deck and Mixed-Reality Devices Lenovo Legion Go S pre-orders are happening now at Best Buy Polygon SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck Lenovo Legion Tab Lenovo’s new Legion Tab is an 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet for $500 and up GameSir X2S Controller Nitro Blaze 11 Hands-on with the Nitro Blaze 11, Acer’s massive new PC gaming handheld Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web Federico and John: MacStories.net Brendon: Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky NPC MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Brendon Bigley Affiliate Linking Policy: https://www.macstories.net/privacy-policy/

58 min
31/12/2024

The 2024 Handhelds of the Year Awards

To close out 2024, Federico, John, and Brendon present the first-ever HOTYs: the 2024 Handhelds of the Year awards, celebrating the best handheld gaming devices, custom firmware, and, of course, the Handheld of the Year. Links and Show Notes The 2024 Handhelds of the Year Awards Best Handheld under 4" Winner: Anbernic RG35XXSP Runners-Up: Anbernic RG Cube AYANEO Pocket Micro TrimUI Brick Also Mentioned: Anbernic RG28XXH and RG49XXV Best Handheld Between 4 and 7" Winner: Any Odin 2 Runners-Up: Ayn Odin Mini Retroid Pocket 5 Best 7" or Larger Handheld Winner: Steam Deck OLED Runners-Up: Legion Go Asus ROG Ally X Best Custom Firmware Winner: MuOS Runners-Up: Spruce MinUI Best Overall Handheld for Retro Gaming Winner: The Smartphone Runners-Up: Anbernic RG35XXSP TrimUI Brick Ayn Odin 2 Best Overall Handheld for Modern Games Winner: Steam Deck Runners-Up Ayn Odin 2 Handheld of the Year Winner: Ayn Odin 2 Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky NPC MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Brendon Bigley Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon Affiliate Linking Policy: https://www.macstories.net/privacy-policy/

1h 6m
17/12/2024

Worst Cable, Favorite Handheld

As the year comes to a close, handheld makers haven’t slowed down. We have new devices in hand and on the horizon, plus Legion Go S and Switch 2 rumors, Brendon’s first impressions of the TrimUI Brick, Federico’s latest NDI streaming experiments, new AR glasses and more. Sponsored By: Pika – Sign up today to start telling your story and use code NPC20 for 20% off your first year of Pika Pro. Links and Show Notes The MacStories DS Skins for Delta Celebrate the MacStories Selects App of the Year with the MacStories DS Skins for Delta Available for $3.00 on the new MacStories Store Follow-Up Jason Snell gets a Miyoo Mini+ Upgrade+ segment Based on Brendon’s recommendation The Two Best Entry-Level Handhelds Are On Sale Anbernic RG35XXSP hardware updates Pokémon Emerald Legacy Video Update: Pokémon Emerald Legacy Out Now The Latest Portable Gaming News Android XR Sony, Lynx, And Xreal Are Building Android XR Devices Too Android XR is Google’s new operating system for headsets and smart glasses Android XR and Project Moohan hands-on Gemini is the killer app Hands-On With Samsung’s Android XR Headset, Shipping In 2025 Anbernic Hour: Anbernic RG34XX Anbernic is Just Making a Game Boy Advance No Tweaks Necessary Miyoo Flip Watch Demo video A trailer First Miyoo Flip Reviews (Sort Of) Pop Up On Youtube Lenovo Legion Go S leak shows renders of the cheaper handheld gaming PC Blurry shots of purportedly leaked Switch 2 Joy-Con Topics TrimUI Brick: Brendon’s First Impressions No Tweaks Necessary My Simple TrimUI Brick Setup (MinUI Guide) Available from AliExpress and Amazon Federico Levels Up His NDI Setup Old device: Kiloview N40 New device: Kiloview N60 Vxio A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming on the Apple Vision Pro The XREAL One AR glasses On Amazon Satechi Mobile XR Hub Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky NPC MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Brendon Bigley Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon Affiliate Linking Policy: https://www.macstories.net/privacy-policy/

1h 10m
03/12/2024

Putting the 'P' in Portable

Tencent and Intel announce a huge handheld, Sony is taking its time, reviewers share early hands-on testing of the Ayn Odin Portal, the Miyoo Mini Flip is spotted across the Internet, Samsung files an intriguing portable gaming patent, and a new eGPU is on the way. Plus, Brendon revisits the Anbernic RG35XXSP, Federico has a mini-surprise, and John and Federico share their first impressions of the Retroid Pocket 5. Links and Show Notes The Latest Portable Gaming News An NPC reader poll Which will be first a Steam Deck console or Xbox handheld Mastodon: Steam Deck Console first (57% to 43%) Threads: An Xbox handheld will be first (73% to 27%) Tencent and Intel Announce the Sunday Dragon 3D One News about Sony’s upcoming handheld from Bloomberg Ayn Odin Portal first impressions are out Retro Game Corps - First Impressions The Miyoo Flip Returns Surfaced images of the carrying case, final hardware, and packaging 11 Anbernic Handhelds in 2024 Samsung Patents Foldable Gaming Handheld Design AOOSTAR AG02 EGPU Dock with OCulink/USB4 Port，Built-in Huntkey 500W Power Supply Topics Brendon Revisits the Anbernic RG35XXSP Anbernic RG35XXSP Anbernic RG351P Into the Aether - GBA episode Federico’s Surprise White Steam Deck Retroid Pocket 5 First Impressions Retroid Pocket 5 Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky NPC MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon

1h 8m
19/11/2024

A Handheld in Paris

For the latest episode, Brendon explains the cronut, the AYANEO 3 Windows handheld has been announced, we consider Anbernic burnout, Federico shares his PS5 Pro first impressions, we speculate about Microsoft’s handheld future, and on the heels of Brendon’s trip to France, we have thoughts on traveling with handhelds and downsizing our handheld setups. Links and Show Notes Is the Cronut from New York? Cronut The Latest Portable Gaming News Hori’s officially licensed Steam controller is coming to the US Imagine if Valve made a Steam Deck controller tomtoc Carrying Case for Hori Nintendo Switch Split Pad Compact The story of the Nintendo Switch in 15 slides VentureBeat The story of the Nintendo Switch in 15 slides VentureBeat AYANEO 3 handheld gaming PC will be available with RDNA 3.5 graphics and OLED display options - Liliputing The Anbernic RG406H Looks Like a Stretched RG Cube Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta - The Verge Microsoft’s Gaming Chief Is Still Open to Acquisitions After Activision Deal - Bloomberg Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White - Launching Worldwide Next Week The Miyoo Flip Has Appeared Again Also mentioned: Federico got a Sony PS5 Pro Hori Splitpad Pro Compact Beelink SER8 A Travel Handheld AYN Odin2 Mini Any Odin handheld could be your only handheld console Waterfield CitySlicker for Steam Deck GPD Win4 2024 Retroid Pocket 5 vs AYN Odin 2 Mini: is $129 too much more? from Adin Walls Beelink GPU Docking Station Games Mentioned Dragon Age: The Veilguard Cool Bird! (feat. Dragon Age: The Veilguard Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Mario & Luigi Brothership Dragon Quest III HD–2D Remake Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky: NPC MacStories Federico Viticci Brendon Bigley John Voorhees Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon

1h 5m
05/11/2024

Dream Devices

This week, we have lots of smartphone gaming news, console mods, a first peek at the future of Windows handheld gaming, and more. Plus, John shares his first impressions of the Ayaneo Pocket Micro, while Brendon digs into OG hardware with the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP. Links and Show Notes The Latest Portable Gaming News iOS Gaming News: Pokémon TCG Pocket Nintendo Music Console Mods: PS4 turned into a handheld Xbox handheld Other Handheld News: Anbernic RG ARC XX rumors Ayn Odin Portal Indiegogo campaign launched Ayaneo EVO and Pocket DMG delayed by a few weeks but the Pocket Micro shipped. Next-Gen Windows Handhelds: AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips could bring Strix Point graphics to handhelds in 2025 (Updated) OneXFly F1 Pro Unveiled with 144Hz OLED, Ryzen Power, and ‘Zero Drift’ Sticks Smartphone gaming Asus ROG Phone 9 is coming on November 19 (gaming smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite) - Liliputing Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor featuring Oryon CPU cores and next-gen Adreno graphics 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Apple rumored to be working on new App Store-like app dedicated to games Netflix is laying off gaming staff New Handhelds John covers the Ayaneo Pocket Micro Brendon has a new matte black Nintendo DSi and modded Sony PSP DSi Guide to modding the DSi Also mentioned: Kit & Krysta YouTube channel PXPlay app Other games mentioned: Soma Bringer Brave Story: New Traveler Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon

1h 13m
22/10/2024

Still Kickin' at the Videogame Store

This week, Federico and John carry on without Brendon and profess their love of all things OLED. Plus, Federico shares a shopping confession, Anbernic is back to its bi-weekly ways, we explore inventive controllers and answer a listener question about the Ayn Odin 2, before Federico tells the origin story of his Wii, which he modded to offload his game library to his collection of handhelds. Links and Show Notes The Latest Portable Gaming News Ayn announces Odin Portal MuOS Banana is out Brendon’s installation guide Federico’s Confession Ayn Odin Mini Hypatia texture pack for Wind Waker Budget Controller A less powerful RG Cube ANBERNIC’s Upcoming Leaked Handheld Could Feature Two Displays Pocket Play: An new iPhone controller coming soon to Kickstarter GameSir Taratuala Pro GameSir reveal trailer Techno Pocket Go A keyboard with a PC in it Alarmo Xbox will let you stream any game from your library Open Source Cartridge Reader CDRDAO How to dump your PSX Games (for Mac) Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon

1h 6m
08/10/2024

A Little SSD Cage

This week, Federico, Brendon, and John cover the latest in Nintendo emulation, a mysterious Nintendo device appears at the FCC, John has a Switch surprise, Microsoft reveals its best-looking controller yet, and Federico mods his Legion Go. Links and Show Notes Intro Federico’s new white microphone arm: TONOR Microphone Boom Arm G-STORY 15.6" Inch IPS 4k 60Hz Portable Monitor Gaming Display Integrated with PS5 G-STORY 15.6 inch Portable Monitor | Xbox Series S The Latest Portable Gaming News Wii U on Android with Cemu Beta on GitHub Retro Game Corp. and Nintendo Ryuninx Shut Down What’s this new mystery Nintendo device? N64 Operator from Epilogue GB Operator by Epilogue Save the Hero cartridge reader EmuDeck Cloud Sync M-Con Controller M-Con update Retro Game Corps first look Switch Lite DIY OLED kit Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition Retro Remake Super 5 OLED Kits REDMAGIC gaming tablet Ghost Cipher Special Edition Series Xbox Controller Balatro Makes a Pile of Cash On Apple Arcade On App Store Leak suggests Legion Go Lite will be out soon Topics Federico’s Legion Go SSD Mod Legion Go Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico John Brendon Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico John Brendon

1 hr

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TRAILER

Welcome to NPC

NPC, or Next Portable Console, is a podcast about the games we take with us. Every other week, Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, and Brendon Bigley will cover portable gaming news and share their experiences with everything from the simplest retro gaming handhelds to cutting-edge portable PCs.

31/05/2024

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4 min

NPC is a podcast about one of the hottest corners of the gaming world: portable hardware. Every other week, Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, and Brendon Bigley cover portable gaming news and share their experiences with everything from the simplest retro gaming handhelds to cutting-edge handheld PCs.

Channel

MacStories
Creator

Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, Brendon Bigley
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

18
Rating

Clean
Show Website

NPC: Next Portable Console
Provider

MacStories, Inc. has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 2093 Philadelphia Pike #2323 Claymont Delaware 19703 United States Phone Number +1 7047652442 Email podcast@macstories.net